Not done here yet, but I just gotta say...
THIS IS THE BEST WEEKEND VACATION OF MY LIIIIIIIFE!
Yes, I'm really enjoying myself here, and even the volunteer work is perpetually fun. Even though I've never seen another furry before face-to-face, (that I know of), I've seen a few familiar faces here as I've been wandering about. And, wow, I'm never going to forget that first hug from a fursuiter... forgive the pun, but it was a rather warm and fuzzy moment.
I'm looking forward to the rest of it; I'm definitely glad I came here.
You're most certainly welcome! Thank you for being a part of what made everything a dreamland for me and the others!
Wow, that reminds me of my first furry convention experience. I didn't even make it through the lobby doors before a virtual-turned-real friend literally pounced me to the ground with an affectionate greeting. And we weren't even dating. 
The rest of that weekend was bizarre and surreal, yet magical and enjoyable, remembered fondly to this day.
Hope you have a great time next year, and THANK YOU for volunteering!!
--Rooth
--Draco nemo omnibus horis sapit
Hey, no prob! I was really glad to volunteer; to me, the work itself was also really fun!
I also had an interesting experience before I entered the Westin on Wednesday... I came across a wolf fursuiter by the name of Dekard Adens, and to him I said the gist of, "Hello! This is my very first convention, and I intend to enjoy the full experience of it!" He cocked his head, then raised his arms and offered me a hug. I raised mine, and... well, that was the very first time I've been hugged by a fursuiter. Forgive the pun, but it was a rather warm and fuzzy moment which I'll never forget.
Later, I even met the girl of my dreams...
Indeed, I'm going to do my best to make it next year, and something really bad would have to happen in order for me NOT to have a great time. Seriously, AC '09 was a complete utopia to me...
EDIT: Oy... where's my memory gone... I already mentioned the first-furry-hug experience in my original post... whoops...
Re: edit: lol! I thought the same thing when I read it.
Re: girl of your dreams: ooooo, I'm a sucker for love stories. But I can understand if you don't wanna post about it. Maybe I'll lure it out of you on the muck or something. *grin*
--Rooth
--Draco nemo omnibus horis sapit
Ah... well, I don't see any harm in putting this out there... (warning, long story...)
You may have heard of her, she's a very talented artist who goes by "Silent Ravyn." I'm a fan of her artwork, but I was taken by complete surprise when I saw that she was also attending AC. (I could only research AC so much, since it was very close to happening before I realized I was able to go.) Anyways, I had a chance to talk to her in Artist's Alley and even buy a print from her. Later, when I saw her (twice) in the Fursuit Parade, we both waved happily at each other. On that Saturday evening, I was able to find her in fursuit, and have my picture taken with her.
Well, I knew I had to leave earlier than usual on Sunday, (I had it in my head at the time that it was noon.) Something compelled me to draw something for her, find her, and give the artwork to her. I expected her to be signed up for Artist's Alley again, as usual, but I panicked when I heard her name wasn't on the list. Long story short, I eventually wrote a big sign in my sketchbook saying, "WHERE'S SILENT RAVYN?" for people to see when I walked by. I also got Chiaroscuro (bless his soul) to leave a message on her cell phone. When I went to leave a message on the post-it board near Artist's Alley, I found that she had left her friend's cell phone number to call because she had a commission ready. I took advantage of that, and found her in the back of the Dealer's Den. I limped over to her (I spent a lot of time walking, but it was worth it), gave her the drawing, and she jumped up and down exclaiming, "Oh! It's SOOOO Cute!" Then she hugged me so hard she squeezed the breath out of me. A few minutes later, I learned I didn't need to leave until 2pm... so I had enough time to buy some more prints from her and say our farewells.
Later, I admitted to her on FurAffinity that I fell in love with her, in a gist because of how much I liked her personality. I even told her that she was the first person I've ever expressed that to; I've never been inexplicably compelled to do something like that drawing for someone, even in desperation. (I leave it up to her if she wants the rest of the world to see that drawing.) I also told her that, because it was the first time I've seriously been in love with someone, I couldn't tell if it's just that "puppy love" that tenderhearted people get, and that I would be more than happy to merely be just friends with her. Well, surprise, surprise... she already seems to have a special someone. [/facepaw] She told me that because of that, she felt badly because I said I fell in love with her... I told her not to, because, if anything, I should be feeling bad because I just expressed that I fell in love with someone who's already taken, it seems. I don't claim to be a love expert, so I can't really see why she would feel bad...
She was kind enough to accept my offer to be friends, and we later talked about the different things that we plan to do in life. Well, it turns out, our plans aren't so different. Our lifestyles, hobbies, future goals and plans are extremely parallel to each other; not exact mirrors, but enough to say that she's the first person I've ever met to whom I could truly call my peer. I'm glad to have met her, and I'm very jovial over the fact that she wanted to be friends with me. As for my love for her... *sigh... seeing as she seems to be taken already, there's a chance that it was too good to be true... maybe it was a bout of that unconditional puppy love... if not, well hey, we're friends now, and I'm very thankful for that.
I also told her that if I ever get a fursuit, she's the first that I'll go to...
And that's the gist of what happened and where I am now.
We're glad that you made it too!
Thanks for being part of a really fun weekend!
KP